Summary
Romantic comedy animeare underrated and are, in a sense, hard to define. Some shows are comedies with romantic elements, and vice versa. What a romantic comedy looks to do is perfectly balance both sides to create a cohesive, hilarious, and heartwarming story.
A romantic comedy should be able to getan audience to laughand ‘Awwwww’ in equal measure. There are some excellent examples of this in anime that more people should at least have knowledge of. In the spirit of celebrating excellent romance and comedy intertwined, this list will highlight some ofthe best romantic comedy anime.
“Chunibyo” is a term to describe an unofficial condition where a young person suffers from something like a delusion of grandeur where they play into a perceived character to a worrying extent. InLove, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!,Yuuta was once like this, but as he grows older, he wants to shed this persona. Then he meets Rikka, a girl with incredible levels of Chunibyo.
The two grow closer and a romance starts to form there. Rikka’s delusions make for some great comedy, but also somebrilliant visuals.Also, there is a great degree of character development as Rikka slowly grows more mature, and even Yuuta, who can be a tad annoying, also softens as a person. This makes the characters easy to root for while not compromising the anime’s funnier moments.
School Rumblecontains a lot of misunderstandings, and the romantic pairings are not always what viewers will expect. However, what the show does well is get the audience to truly care for the characters trying to navigate love and high school, both of which can be quite difficult.
The main thrust of the story follows Harima Kenji’s attempts to show Tsukamoto Tenma that he loves her, yet there are a lot of mishaps that make the show really funny. On top of that, there is Tenma’s love interest, Karasuma Ooji, who is just a weird character. The show blends laughs and heartfelt romance perfectly and it’s almost impossible to hate Haruhi.
The premise forThe 100 Girlfriendsis a little kooky: A high school boy must date 100 girls to ensure they don’t die. Also, with a premise like that, one might be led to believe that the 100 girls aresome sort of exaggeration, but this show is dead serious. While the 100 girls have not been presented, it is the intention of the mangaka for those 100 girls to meet the protagonist, Rentarou.
The absurdity of the situation is hilarious in itself, but the show goes further to give each girl presented thus far her time to shine. This is great, and the fast pace of the romance makes this possible and allows for more heartwarming scenes for fans to take in before being swept up by the next love interest.
Ouran High School Host Clubis a show from the 2000s that many consider a classic, but unlike many shows that receive that tag, this one actually feels like an all-timer. The story sees Haruhi Fujioka, a poor student who’salso a tomboy, joining the prestigious Ouran high school host club where she meets a host (pun intended) of handsome boys.
The main relationship is between Haruhi and Tamaki, and the other cute boys bring all the fun, drama, and comedy in between. The show caters to a variety of tastes, including for viewers who are into shonen-ai or just good old romance. The animation still holds up pretty well for its age, and it captures the reverse harem genre to perfection.
Nukumizu is a hero! The self-proclaimed ‘background character’ finds himself as a main character in the love lives of three beautiful high school girls who have all been rejected by the objects of their affection. The story ofMakeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!is all about love, but it doesn’t seem to be happening for the main girls.
This series has very likeable characters and the dialogue is fun. The situations the characters find themselves in are very funny, but what is most heartwarming is the sense of community these lovable losers can find in themselves and with each other. The mature look at romance, unrequited love, and growing up makes it worthy of becoming an anime romcom classic.
Nanami is a down-on-her-luck girl whose parents run off and leave her with a hefty debt and without a home. Through a chance meeting with Mikage, she now has a home; the only problem is, this home is a shrine, and suddenly she has the powers of an earth god and an unwilling familiar in the fox-eared Tomoe.
Kamisama Kissdoes a great job of showing how incredibly ridiculous it is for a human to suddenly obtain thepowers of a god. The romance between Tomoe and Nanami brews slowly and is sweet to watch unfold. The series is able to balance its romance with its comedy aspects, of which there are many.
Nodame Cantabile
Nodame Cantabileis another show from the 2000s, this time about Chiaki and Megumi Noda. The former is a straight-laced musician and conductor with a fear of flying, while the latter is amusical geniuswho is also a bit of a mess. Their romance is interesting, as it is clear that Noda is the one quick to express her love for Chiaki, and it almost feels like she is the chaser.
The show has several lighthearted moments as the extent of Noda’s messiness is explored through how it bothers Chiaki. Interspersed between all this are some lovely classical music numbers and a character development arc that draws the viewer in. They will root for Noda and Chiaki as the two develop their relationship and express their feelings towards one another.
Teasing Master Takagi-san
Teasing Master Takagi Sanis cute. That’s the best way to describe it, as Takagi, the heroine of the show, teases the boy she sits beside, Nishikata, while not-so-secretly crushing on him. In his naivety, Nishikata only wants to get back at Takagi for all the pranks she plays on him.
The voice acting in this series is excellent and lends a lot to the comedy. But also, as the seasons go on, watching their relationship slowly blossom feels really rewarding. It’s about young love, and without the complexities that adulthood brings, it makes the romance feel more pure watching these youngsters figure out their feelings.
Bakuman
Mashiro and Azuki Miho are in a situation where, in order to get married, they must jump through some almighty hoops. They must: publish a manga, have it picked up to become an anime, and Azuki has to be the voice actress for the major heroine’s role.Bakumanis allabout aspirationsand the hard work required to achieve a dream.
The comedy inBakumancomes from the mannerisms of the characters, especially the weird character of Niizuma Eiji. The series shows how many attain their dreams, and also how some dreams shatter along the way. It’s a heartfelt look at the making of manga, and it’s very satisfying watching Mashiro and Azuki inch closer to their desires.
Kaguya-samafeels more like a comedy than a romance, but it pays off at the end as the characters, Miyuki and Kaguya, are finally able to bring things to a satisfying conclusion. It also helps that both characters are very likable and everyone wants them to be together.
Kaguya-sama’sromance moves at a glacial pace, but it more than makes up for that with some side-achingly funny and truly brilliant comedy. The side characters are also incredible, especially Chika. Over the course of the series, there are even recurring jokes that are even funnier on repeat watches (every season has an episode of Miyuki trying to sing, which is truly hilarious).
